NATO condemned what it called “Russia’s irresponsibility” after a drone launched during an attack on Ukraine struck a residential building in Romania’s city of Galati overnight from Thursday to Friday. The incident injured two people and forced authorities to evacuate around 70 residents, Antena3.ro reports.
The Alliance spokesperson stated that the NATO Secretary General is in contact with Romanian authorities and that NATO “will continue to strengthen its defense against all threats, including drones.”
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said the incident occurred around 02:00 on May 28–29, when Russia resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine. The ministry said one drone crossed into Romanian airspace, where radar systems tracked it toward southern Galați before it crashed into a residential building.
The most affected apartment was located on the 10th floor. Authorities transported two lightly injured people to hospital, while they evacuated about 70 residents as a precaution.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the incident “a serious and irresponsible escalation by the Russian Federation” and said Romania would take diplomatic measures in response to the violation of its airspace and international law.
Authorities also noted that since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drone fragments have previously fallen on Romanian territory, but this marked the first confirmed case of a drone directly striking a residential building.